1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an X-ray apparatus, such as an X-ray angiographic apparatus, an image processing display apparatus, and a computer program product, and particularly relates to a technology for assisting a treatment that is performed by inserting a linear structure, such as a guide wire, into a blood vessel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been a treatment method for expanding a narrowed portion or a blocked portion of a coronary artery by inserting a linear structure, such as a guide wire or a catheter, into a coronary artery of a heart. Such treatment is called as Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). According to the PCI treatment, an X-ray apparatus, such as an X-ray angiographic apparatus, is used. The X-ray angiographic apparatus displays an X-ray perspective projection image (hereinafter, “X-ray image”) during a PCI treatment as a guide image when inserting a guide wire to a lesion-site (coronary artery coarctation).
Moreover, as a method for diagnosing a coronary artery, clinical application software for an X-ray CT apparatus, so-called coronary-artery analysis software has been known (for example, see JP-A 2004-283373 (KOKAI)). The coronary-artery analysis software has a function of obtaining three-dimensional data of a blood-vessel core line, a blood-vessel inner wall, and a presumed-normal blood-vessel inner wall by using three-dimensional volume data of a heart area.
Under the PCI treatment, it is difficult to grasp a lumen form in a coronary-artery coarctation area only by referring to an X-ray image as a guide image, consequently, accuracy of operation may be sometimes decreased in some cases. In such case, an operator is assisted by displaying an image of a coronary-artery inner wall obtained by using the coronary-artery analysis software onto a separate device different from the X-ray angiographic apparatus, or by developing the image onto a film and referring it.
However, it is sometimes difficult to move the guide wire ahead in a blood vessel during a PCI treatment in some cases even by using the coronary-artery analysis software.
For example, when moving the guide wire ahead of a coarctation, the head of the guide wire sometimes comes in contact with a blood-vessel lesion-site (for example, a plaque (such as an arteriosclerotic plaque)) in the coarctation, and the guide wire may not be moved further in the blood vessel in some cases. FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram for explaining relation between the direction of a guide wire and a coarctation. For example, as shown in the upper section of the figure, when a blood-vessel lesion-site is formed on a inner wall of a coronary artery, as the guide wire is turned as shown in the middle section of the figure, the head of the guide wire can be passed through as shown in the lower section of the figure.
However, for example, if the coronary artery is imaged from the direction of an arrow shown in the upper section of the figure, an operator cannot grasp whether the blood-vessel lesion-site is present in front or in the back. In such case, the operator cannot determine to which direction the guide wire is to be turned, and cannot move the guide wire ahead inside the blood vessel.
Moreover, when moving the guide wire to a coarctation, if the head of the guide wire does not face to the running direction of the blood vessel, the head of the guide wire may hit a blood-vessel wall in some cases, consequently the guide wire cannot be moved ahead inside the blood vessel. FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram for explaining relation between the direction of the guide wire and the running direction of a blood vessel. For example, as shown in the left section of the figure, when a blood vessel turns from the front to the back at a forward area of the guide wire, as the guide wire is turned as shown in the middle section of the figure, the guide wire can be moved ahead as shown in the right section of the figure.
However, for example, if the coronary artery is imaged from the direction of an arrow shown in the left section of the figure, the operator cannot grasp whether the running direction of the blood-vessel goes to the front or the back. In such case, similarly, the operator cannot determine to which direction the guide wire is to be turned, and cannot move the guide wire ahead inside the blood vessel.
Primarily to avoid such situation, the coronary-artery analysis software is used. However, according to the conventional technology, as described above, because the image of the coronary artery is displayed on a separate device, or developed on a film to be referred, it is difficult to grasp relation between the X-ray image and the position and the direction of the blood vessel. Furthermore, during a treatment, because the operator is operating the guide wire while watching the X-ray image, the operator has no time to see a separate image. Thus, the conventional technology cannot assist the operator sufficiently in some cases.